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TOKYO: About 1,000 Olympics volunteers resigned over the past month, organizers said, during which organizing committee chair Yoshiro Mori resigned due to sexist comments and a new chair was elected to replace him.
Volunteers are the backbone of any game, doing everything from guiding people to places, translating, and driving visitors. A significant drop in their numbers could be another hurdle for Tokyo 2020, already hit by an unprecedented one-year postponement and a lack of public support fueled by concerns over the coronavirus pandemic.
Tokyo 2020 organizers said not all volunteers who recently resigned did so due to Mori’s comments. Surveys have shown that volunteers repeatedly express concern about the coronavirus.
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The total number of volunteers recruited for Tokyo 2020 is 80,000 and the organizers have said that they do not expect the execution of the Games to be affected, as the number leaving is only about 1 percent of the total.
Another 30,000 volunteers have been recruited separately by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, which could not immediately comment on how many have resigned.
Additionally, the postponement of the Games has affected some volunteers, who were in a position to help last year but are not this year, due to job changes or other lifestyle changes, such as having to care for young children.
The Olympic Games will be held from July 23 to August 8.
